


The Silver Lining

by Em_Neutral



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: A pile of salt with a side of felinette, But Awesome, F/M, Felix is awesome, Lila sucks, and i love him, in which I want to give Mari a hug, kinda mean, thanks for coming to my ted talk, to be fair I always want to give her a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 21:13:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19934584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_Neutral/pseuds/Em_Neutral
Summary: Marinette no longer had a crush on Adrien Agreste, and apparently that was a problem.





	The Silver Lining

Marinette no longer had a crush on Adrien Agreste- he was just too passive. Wasn’t his fault, wasn’t hers, she thought. 

Marinette no longer had a crush on Adrien Agreste, and apparently that was a problem.

When she first told Alya, she didn’t believe her. She just laughed, “Girl, I know you’re jealous of Lila, but that’s no reason to give up! You still have a chance. You just have to go for it!”

“I don’t want to go for it. I don’t like him anymore.”

Alya rolled her eyes, “Whatever you say, girl. Call me when you’ve come to your senses.”

Alya left.

Marinette didn’t call her.

She turned down invitations to sneak into Adrien’s photo shoot.

She nipped any convoluted date plans in the bud.

She no longer stuttered around him.

She tore down all her photos.

When Alya saw her bare room, she finally believed her. 

Marinette soon learned that Alya believing her wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

If Marinette didn’t have a crush on Adrien, then surely she’d be ok with the girl squad spending all their time helping someone who does.

If Marinette didn’t have a crush on Adrien, then surely she wouldn’t mind if Alya and Nino invited someone who does to hang out with the three of them instead.

If Marinette didn’t have a crush on Adrien, then surely she’d be willing to give up her seat for someone who does.

Lila is someone who does.

And this is how Marinette finds herself stranded, friendless once again in all but name. Stuck in a cloud with no silver lining. She was left in the back of the room, with only a notoriously cold and unforgiving classmate as company. Félix.

He doesn’t talk much, his nose always in a book. He never interacted with the class, save an occasional huff of disapproval. He had long fingers that danced across pages, and a glare that chilled the offender to the bone. He had made it clear he didn’t want anything to do with any of them, and the feeling was often mutual.

Marinette had tried to be his friend, at first, but she was soundly and firmly refused. And so, she was alone. 

It was all bound to come to a head, she supposed. This purgatory she had found herself in was bad enough, but she should have known it would get worse. That just distancing everyone from her wouldn’t be enough for Lila, that she just had to turn them against her too.

It took one comment. One comment to have who Marinette called her friends out for her head. One comment, halfheartedly said against another one of Lila’s crass claims.

“You know, Ladybug told me that she and Chat Noir are in love. They’re just waiting until they defeat Hawkmoth to be together officially.”

“Ladybug has made it really clear she doesn’t like him that way, Lila,” Marinette said.

One comment, and they were on her like wolves.

“I think Lila would know better than you, Marinette. She is Ladybug’s best friend.”

No, she isn't.

“Yeah, dude, the only reason they aren’t together is probably just cause of safety and all that.”

No, it isn’t.

“Girl, you know I run the ladyblog, and there is some serious chemistry there.”

No, there isn't.

“I just don’t see why Lila would lie, Marinette.”

“Maybe you’re jumping to conclusions?” 

“Dupain-Cheng always has the wrong ideas- though Ladybug definitely has a thing for Queen Bee too.”

“There is a high probability that Ladybug and Chat Noir are actually together.”

“They represent good luck and bad luck, it’s like fate!”

“It is very romantic.”

“Why don’t you just leave Lila alone for once?”

“Yeah, Marinette.”

“We thought you were better than this.”

“I’m disappointed in you, girl.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, her hands trembling, as everyone gathered closer and closer to her desk, their tones darkening, their glares hardening. She sobbed, her face flushed and stained by her mascara. Adrien knows, she thought. He knows what’s going on. He will help me, she thought. He has to.

She took a shaky breath, “Adrien?”

He averted his eyes.

Her heart stopped. He will help her. He will.

“Adrien?!”

“They _are_ in love, though, Marinette. You don’t know them.”

He won’t.

And she was alone, well and truly.

And she crumpled, finally broken. 

And Lila smiled, a sick twisted smile, as poisonous as her words.

And Marinette felt a hand on her shoulder.

And the class fell silent.

The hand squeezed her shoulder, then fell away. 

A cold voice- Félix’s voice- spoke, “Are you all quite done?” 

Silence. Marinette looked up at him with wet eyes.

“I have been sitting here, my reading constantly interrupted by all of your screeching voices as you berate a classmate who dare voice her opinion. Now, I suggest you all return to your seats and leave her alone. I have a book to finish.”

Lila spoke up, meek as a lamb, letting her voice crack, “He’s right, guys. I know Marinette was rude to me again, but I’m not worth all this fighting,” She let a single tear fall, “I’m just causing so much trouble and-”

Félix interrupted, “You beg for pity like a dog begs for scraps. It’s pathetic.”

She let tears stream down her face, pretending to suppress a sob, “Félix, I-” 

“Save it, the only one in this room who has the right to be crying right now is Ms. Dupain-Cheng. And perhaps me, for having to speak with all of you.” 

Alya broke into the conversation, “You have no right to speak to us that way! You’re not our friend! You don’t know Lila, you don’t know us, and you don’t know Marinette or how bad she’s been these last few months! Someone had to set her straight!” 

“I know enough, Ms. Cesaire. The Ladyblogger. So busy chasing after heroes that you push your ‘best friend’ to the side unless you have something to gain. Try to use her like a puppet to set her up with your little sunshine boy, and ditching her when she doesn’t play along. Letting Ms. Rossi walk in and take over her life, her friends, and seeing no problem with that. Letting the entire class speak bad of her when she can’t defend herself. Letting Ms. Rossi lie and lie, ignoring any evidence against her. Covering any holes in her painfully fragile stories. Just because I don’t deign to speak with you, Ms. Cesaire, does not mean that I don’t have eyes.” 

Alya gasped, floundering for an answer. The class was struck speechless.

“And you, Mr. Agreste,” Felix sneered, “Have made it perfectly obvious that you were well aware of Ms. Rossi’s lies and allowed her to continue to attack someone you call a friend, for no other reason than to prevent yourself from becoming inconvenienced. You, along with everyone else in this class, disgust me.”

Marinette stared up at him, her heart pounding, tears slowing. She couldn’t believe it.

He sat down and, with a note of finality in his voice, he said, “You will all return to your seats.”

And, like magic, they did. 

He gave her a cursory glance over, “You’re done crying.”

It was a fact, not a question and she reacted accordingly, slowly nodding,

“Good."

He started to turn away but she frantically reached out to grab his arm, “Wait! Félix, um, why, I mean, why did you help me? You, um, you didn’t have to, and I, uh, well, I didn’t really think you, um, liked me, really, all that much.”

He sighed, giving her a flat look, “Do not get the wrong idea, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. I only defended you because it was clear you would not do so yourself, and I wished to return to my book as soon as possible. You should not have allowed them to walk all over you like that.”

Marinette’s eyes welled up once more, “But… but they were my friends."

Félix absentmindedly wiped away a stray tear, his eyes softened, hand lingering on her cheek, “You deserve better than them, Marinette.”

He had said it softly, but Marinette was certain that his presence was the loudest thing in the world at that moment. Heat rushed to her face and her lips fell open with a soft gasp.

Félix coughed, and withdrew his hand, seemingly becoming aware of their proximity to one another. He picked up his book once more, a subtle blush on his cheeks.

Marinette broke out of her trance, “Yank thoo! Um, I mean, thank you! Sorry, I’m a ness- mess!”

Félix didn’t look up, “I suggest you get your notebook out, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Class will be starting soon.”

But Marinette saw the small smile that lingered on his face for the rest of the period. And she thought maybe, just maybe, she had found her silver lining.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to @BlueberryDonut on the Felinette server who ranted with me about Felix today, and thanks to everyone who reads this because each and every one of you are amazing! Enjoy, lovelies!


End file.
